Hello from an alum! I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time at Olin since I graduated, and it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch the community grow and grow with each passing year. Things have already changed so much, I’m excited for you and all of the opportunities at your disposal now, especially the ones you’ve chosen to make for yourselves.
I remember the first few weeks of the academic year, and how overwhelming it was (especially for those of you careening out of orientation) to pick and choose just what to actually do, out of all the exciting possibilities.
Well, I’d like to offer some help on this front. I can’t tell you what you want to do, but I did compile a few lists of Olin opportunities during my alumni weekend visit that I can share. Note: The information herein may not be 100% accurate – *****
Getting around: Did you know the MBTA has a city bus that travels from Needham Center to the green line? The 59 is about a 25-minute walk from Olin, or a 5-minute drive/bike ride. You can transfer to the 70 at the terminus to go straight to Central Square, or the 71 to get to Harvard Square. Careful – it stops running around 7pm! However, Marco Morales has informed me that taking UberPool from downtown to Olin can cost under $20, and a regular Uber for not much more! Could be worth it for the right-sized groups, and saves you the last-minute helpme. Depending on where you’re going and your schedule, the Commuter Rail leaves Wellesley even on the weekends, and later into the evening, and costs the same as a T fare + gas money to your lift. The Babson shuttle has its perks, as does the Wellesley college Peter Pan bus. It also may be worth your time to get Olin Van trained in case your club wants to take an outing, but nobody has a car.
Food: Short but sweet. The dining hall will gladly pack you a lunch if you ask a day in advance. Talk to a cashier! Trim dining hall opens at 9am on Saturdays, if you’re awake then, but 11 on Sundays, so no dice there. The Lulu Chow Wang dining hall at Wellesley admits all Olin students – just write your Student ID number on their sign-in sheet. Since the two colleges have different Thanksgiving and Spring breaks, this might leave you a little less stranded over the holidays than you’d have been otherwise!
Resources: I knew about some of these during my time at Olin, learned about others during happy chance encounters with Dakota Nelson and Meg McCauley, then filled in the list thanks to ideation with Alex Crease, and Ryan Louie – thanks all! So, did you know that all Olin Community members receive free entry to the ICA, MFA, and Isabella Stewart Gardiner museums in Boston? Have you tried the frisbee golf course? It’s highly regarded by serious players as a top-quality course, and I recall one man come through whose mission was to play a course in all 50 states… and he chose ours to represent Massachussets! In that vein, many Babson and Wellesley sports are open to Oliners, including very low-commitment intramurals, or simply the Babson Gym and rink or the Wellesley boat house. All three are definitely worth a visit, if only just to say you’ve been.
In a similar vein, poke your noses into a welding session, the ECE and MECH:E stockrooms, and your faculty/NINJA’s/writing tutor’s office hours. For this last one, you really don’t need to come up with an excuse or reason to be there. They’ve set the time aside specifically to talk with you… who knows what great conversations might arise! Similarly, organizations such as SWE and the Foundry exist to help you. SWE is successful when people who didn’t realize they wanted to go to conferences get to go to conferences. The Foundry has stand-up Fridays to help motivate, inspire, and facilitate projects by Oliners. Talk to them even if you don’t think you’re interested in presenting or starting your own business. There’s lots for you there!
Another organization that exists purely for your satisfaction is the Library. This is a cool one, because they have a ton of money to throw at making your studying/sitting/being experience as positive as possible. You can work in all kinds of spaces in the library. Meet, ideate, confer, pair-program, play music, chill… you name it, and there’s a nicely curated place for it! I also personally believe that you’re mistaken if you don’t have at least one library book out on loan (in a rotation!) for your entire time at Olin. You can’t read more if you don’t have something to read! Check out inter-library loans for even more options.
Community: This is secretly the best part of the list. Congrats for finding it! In addition to being enjoyable in its own right, building relationships with other people makes you a more effective person. Talking with people in your community gets you input, insight, and influence that you wouldn’t have otherwise. And don’t for a second think that you’re putting the other party out by getting to know one another! Alumni set up the Banter program so we could reconnect with our beloved campus. Stay tuned for the launch in November – Email me for the FAQ. Staff and faculty are delighted to get to know the students on a more personal level. That’s why they run co-curriculars and come out to SAC events! Last year, Ian Hill publicized a note from Rick Miller: If he’s ever in the dining hall eating by himself, he welcomes students to sit with him. I did, the Friday of the reunion weekend. And unsurprisingly, he had a very interesting perspective to share! Finally, there’s me. If you know me, you should know you can always reach out to me about whatever you’re up do/dealing with. If you don’t know me, maybe you could. I try to know a lot about how to get things done at Olin, so I might be able to help you out. What’s in it for me? I want to stay connected and help others connect. You can help me achieve that just by saying hi.
